PFF Has a Low Opinion of The NFC North
K. Joudry
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Admittedly, having the Detroit Lions in our division doesn’t help. Dan Campbell’s Knee Biters will be lucky to get to four or five wins. Even still, it was surprising to see PFF – Zim’s favorite website – list the NFC North as the 6th best in the NFL.
In their mind, Green Bay is the clear-cut favorite in the North: “There’s a chance that Green Bay’s offensive line isn’t as good as it has been in years past, but the core of a team that has gone 13-3 in each of the past two seasons is still intact.” I know this is a Vikings site, but it’s hard to disagree. Nothing about the preseason suggests the Vikings will challenge for the divisional crown.
The brief blurb about our Vikings mostly focuses on the concerns on the offensive line, especially with the Christian Darrisaw and Wyatt Davis injuries exacerbating longstanding issues up front. They apply the same rationale to the Bears. The Lions, according to PFF, have essentially no position group apart from the OL that is strong: “Detroit’s issue span nearly every position group except their offensive line, but even that isn’t quite as sound as it looked on paper entering the year.” As a result, they conclude that “[t]his is the Packers’ division to lose.”
It’s also noteworthy that the AFC North is listed as the second strongest division. We’re playing the AFC North teams this year, so expect several tough games. The 1st and 3rd spot are held by the NFC West and then the NFC South. The Vikings, in other words, are in the same conference as the two of the best divisions. Another top division is also on their schedule.
Of course, PFF doesn’t have football truth cornered. They get things wrong just like the rest of us. Once the season really gets going, we’ll see which divisions are actually at the top.